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Trading in fantasy basketball can help you improve your team in the short, as well as in the long term. But, even more than that, it's just plain fun. Negotiating with your mate, going back and forth with offers, and hopefully, reaching a mutually beneficial agreement in the end.
It's not always easy to find the right deal that both parties could agree upon, so using the current form to your advantage could be helpful for you to get a deal done, and perhaps even get the most out of it.
Here are our Sell High and Buy Low candidates for Week 13 of the NBA season, right here at RotoBaller.
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Are You for Real, Russell Westbrook?
Russ has been incredible since the All-Star break with averages of 28.5 points with 2.2 threes on 48.9% from the field and 65.2% from the charity stripe, 9.0 boards, 11.7 dimes, 1.7 swipes, 0.3 blocks and 4.7 turnovers in over 37 minutes a night. This has him at #15 on Yahoo.
Yes, those free throws are atrocious, especially with 7.7 attempts a night, and the turnovers do hurt. But if you drafted or traded for Westy, you had to know this was a part of his game. But, try to concentrate on the positives. He is scoring almost 30 a night, hitting over two 3-pointers and almost averaging a triple-double with nearly two steals a night. That is a great contribution from a second, in some shallower leagues even a third-round pick.
Westbrook has been a fantasy monster for years, so why trade him now when he is finally doing well on his new team?
It's really not because I doubt Westy can stuff the stat sheet on a nightly basis - I believe he can. The assists and steals aren't far off his season averages, and the boards are even a bit lower. I don't think he can keep up the high FG% though, that is true. But that alone wouldn't be enough for me to recommend selling.
What I do expect to see however is more rest days for Russ if the Wizards fall out of playoff contention, and with just one win in their previous six games, and them being 2.5 games behind the #10 spot this is becoming more and more a reality.
There are safer players with similar value to Westbrook out there, and if you could trade for one of them you could see that pay off if Westbrook sits out games during your fantasy playoffs. You should definitely target guys in the 15-25 range. I like players like Donovan Mitchell, Ben Simmons or Devin Booker better than Russ so if they fit your team well, and you feel safer in their hands than in Westbrook's, perhaps it's the right time to try and pull off a swap.
Baller Move: Sell high
Time to Panic on Victor Oladipo?
Oladipo has been just "fine" this season with averages of 20.8 PTS with 2.5 3PM on 40.5 FG% and 76.5 FT%, 5.0 REB, 4.7 AST, 1.3 STL, 0.4 BLK and 2.4 TO in 33 minutes per game. This has him at #95, and he has been ranked at #83 pre-season so it's okay I guess. Although, we all know he can do a lot better.
But his per-game output is not something I anticipate going up too much. It is his games played.
Oladipo is getting rest days left and right since joining the Rockets a few months back, with four games missed in their last 12. This has got to be quite frustrating for his fantasy GMs. But with him being highly regarded to move on from Houston before the trade deadline on March 25, he is likely to land with a contender (or at least a team making the playoffs).
And even though he probably isn't going to have the ball in his hands as much as he does with Houston at the moment, his efficiency should go up, and his rest days should go down (or even disappear in the right situation).
This is why I would be looking to obtain Vic for someone outside the top 100. I wouldn't pay much more than this since he is struggling this season and his games missed are pretty bad and he isn't sure to leave Houston so if he stays he could keep missing them. Some of the guys I would be willing to give for Oladipo are Otto Porter Jr., Donte Divincenzo, or Nerlens Noel (especially with Mitchell Robinson coming back at some point). Dipo has a higher upside than both Otto and Donte, and Noel just can't get enough minutes to be the fantasy beast we know he can be.
If Dipo's GM is frustrated enough with his performances and rests, he could just accept a trade to get the stress out of his life. Are you prepared to take that stress into yours?
Baller Move: Hold or buy low.
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